High-power laser systems are being developed for a number of military and commercial applications. In some laser systems, a master oscillator/power amplifier (MOPA) configuration uses a master oscillator to generate a low-power optical signal that is then amplified by a power amplifier to generate a high-power output beam. Unfortunately, high-power laser systems having a MOPA configuration can experience degradation in the overall quality of an output beam due to various factors. These factors can include thermally-induced distortions created within a gain medium of the power amplifier, as well as misalignment of the master oscillator's beam with respect to the power amplifier.